Ben's Choice
by The-Fiction-Fangirl
Summary: When out on a patrol mission, Ben is severely injured. When he is found by Hal, he is barely alive. Ben is sure that he wants to wake up, but he starts to doubt himself. Would the 2nd Mass be better off without him?
1. Chapter 1

"Run!" Maggie.

"Go ahead! I'll stay and fight! I'll be right behind you!" Ben yelled.

"I'm staying!" Maggie said.

Ben looked over to Maggie, and nodded. She copied his move.

Then, they both started shooting at the pack of Skitters that were following them.

"Run! Now! I got them!" Ben said to Maggie.

"Ben—."

"No! No exceptions! Just run! Don't worry about me!"

She didn't like the idea, but she started to run. Every few second, turning around to shoot a Skitter dead. Then she would turn back around in the direction of the campsite of the 2nd Mass.

Ben was right behind her for a little while. Then, he was ran a little too slow. He was trying to shoot, which made running at the full speed harder.

Soon enough, two Skitters caught up with him. They knocked his gun away and pushed him to the ground. One slashed across his leg, which immediately started bleeding. Another grazed his stomach. Not strong enough to kill him, but enough to cause some pain.

Ben tried to drag himself away from the aliens, and towards his gun.

But the Skitters kept slashing. They cut his arms. His face. His legs. By the time Ben reached his gun, his body was covered in blood.

He picked up his rife and started shooting on the Skitters. After he finished the rest up, he didn't have enough strength to get up.

He dragged himself to and old demolished building, and sat there. Trying to attend to some wounds.

He was losing a lot of blood. Not that it hurt a ton, but enough that he had little to no strength in him.

A few minutes later, he passed out into darkness, barely alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Maggie and the other soldier got back safely to camp. But they didn't notice that Ben wasn't even there.

Hal ran up to them. "Where's Ben? I don't see him."

"Um, he should be right here…Ben?" The soldier said. "Ben?"

"Where is he? What happened?" Hal pressed, starting to get worried.

"Hal," Maggie started. "We don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? He was with you! You were supposed to help him!"

"We were overwhelmed by Skitters. Me and him stayed back to fight while the rest got a head start back to camp. Then he told me to start back. He was behind me. Then, when I got here, he wasn't," Maggie explained.

"So you lost him? And he could be anywhere. He could be hurt. He could be dead! Maggie!"

"I'm sorry, Hal. I am. He wouldn't let me stay. He said I had to run. That he had it."

"Well obviously, he didn't," Hal snapped.

"Yes. I think he did. There aren't any Skitters. He saved us all," Maggie said guiltily.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? We have to scrounge up a search and rescue team. _Now_," Hal ordered. "Dad!"

Tom Mason jogged up a few moment later. "What's wrong? Is everybody okay?"

"No. Ben didn't come back from the patrol mission. Him and Maggie were ambushed by Skitters. Ben stayed back to fight. The rest of the team got back, but he isn't here," Hal said, worriedly. "I'll gather some men to go look for him."

"Alright. I'll wait here. Take Maggie and Jake," Tom said, pointing to the other soldier. "Have Weaver come, too."

"Okay. We'll bring him back."

"Weaver!" Tom shouted.

Captain Weaver rushed up. "Tom?"

"Ben is missing. Hal, you, Maggie, and Jake are going to look for him. Go. Now," Tom directed.

"You got it, sir."

When everyone was composed, they all set off. Hal in the front, leading.

"Maggie. Jake. Where did you last see Ben?" Weaver asked.

"Um, he was following me when we were running by some old buildings. That was the last time I looked back. Then I got back to camp, and he wasn't there. I'm sorry, Hal. I shouldn't have left him," Maggie answered.

Hal chose to ignore her for the moment. All he was focused on, was finding ben. His little brother. He was the oldest. He needed to keep him safe. "Ben! Ben? Ben!" Hal called out. "Check in the buildings. He may have gone in there for protection."

As Maggie, Jake, and Weaver checked buildings on the right. Hal checked the one on the left. What he found, brought tears to his eyes.

He saw a bloody human, unconscious. He was very young, too. He had a gun by his side and had slash marks from Skitters all over him. He was muddy and bleeding out.

It was Ben.

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Hey peeps! This is only my second story so...HAVE MERCY! :) But yeah, anyway, R&R! I wanna know if I'm starting out okay!

And should I continue this story? Please comment! Or review! or...I don't know anymore.. ;) But yeah...help me out! :D


	3. Chapter 3

"Ben? Ben! Wake up, Ben! Are you alright? Talk to me! Wake up!" Hal was a mess. He usually didn't break down like this, but when it came to his family, he felt a big responsibility to keep his little brothers safe.

"Uhhh," Ben groaned. At least he was alive.

Hal checked his pulse. It was very faint. Then he checked Ben's breathing. It was shallow. He was alive, alright. But just barely.

"We have to get him back to camp!" Hal said. He put one arm under Ben's knees and the other under his back. Then he lifted his little brother up and rushed him back to camp.

The whole way back, this is all that Hal said: "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. This is my fault. I should've been with you. Please wake up. Don't give up. Stay with us. Ben, please. Please."

By the time Hal arrived back at the camp, Ben had gotten much worse.

"Hang in there, Ben. We're gonna get you healed up. Don't worry. Just stay with us. Just a bit longer," Hal said to Ben's unconscious body.

Hal ran up to the medical bus and yelled through the doors. "Anne! Lourdes! Help! Ben's hurt very badly!"

A few seconds later, Anne opened up the door, took one look at the boy in Hal's arms, and ushered him inside.

"We're gonna need wet towels. Lots of them. And some bandages. Get me some gauze," Anne ordered.

As Hal gathered up all the supplies, Tom and Matt barged in the door.

"Where is he? Where's my son?" Tom asked frantically.

"Ben? What happened?" Matt said, just as worried as his father.

Hal walked over to them with a solemn expression. "Ben, he's, hurt. Badly. Skitters attacked him. He alive. But only just."

"Oh, Ben," Tom said.

"I want to see him," Matt demanded.

Hal bent down to his little brother's height. "He's got a lot of cuts. He doesn't look too good. I don't really want you to see him lie this, bud," Hal explained.

"I don't care! I want to see, Ben!" Matt protested.

"Fine. Let's go," Hal relented.

Tom guided his two sons to the table that Ben lay atop on.

"Ben? Oh my God. Ben? Wake up. You'll wake up, right? You have to. Please," Matt pleaded.

Tom fell to his knees as tears raced down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I should have been there, son. I'm so, very sorry. This is all my fault. Anne. How is he?"

"As you can see, he's lost a lot of blood. There's not much that I can do for him now. He has to make the mental decision that he _wants _to come back."

"You'll choose to come back. Right? Please? If you can hear me, wake up," Hal was still crying. "Wake up. Wake up! Please. You've gotta wake up."

Ben just lay there.

"Oh, Ben. We need you. Your family loves and needs you, Ben. Please," Tom begged. "Please."


	4. Chapter 4

All Ben really remembered, was pain. Things didn't hurt as much, not since he kept his spikes. But there still was a little pain. Especially if you're clawed several times my a hostile alien. But even so, it wasn't the pain that he would've blacked out from. In this case, it was probably the loss of blood. Ben could feel it. He was getting more tired by the minute. After a while, he allowed the darkness to consume him.

The next time he was conscious, was when Hal found him. Ben could see his older brother crying and calling out his name. Then he was checking his pulse. From the expression, he understood that Hal did not like what he found.

And then they were running. Running back to the camp. Hal was saying something along the lines of, _"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. This is my fault. Wake up. Please don't give up, Ben. Ben?" _Then he blacked out again.

When he was able half conscious, he was in the medical van staring up at the ceiling. Everyone beside him was crying. Hal, Matt, and his father. Even Anne looked solemn. What had happened? How bad was it? He couldn't move, though. He heard Doctor Glass say something like, _"He lost a lot of blood. There's not much I can do for him now. He has to make the decision to come back." _And then he heard his father and Hal pleading for him to wake up. But, once again, he drifted into unconsciousness.

Ben didn't really have the strength to stay conscious for more than a few minutes. Even then, he couldn't move. He could only listen. From what he could remember, Hal, Matt, and his father visited him often. They'd sit down and hold his hand. Ben could hear them sniffle as they talked to him. They would say stuff like, _"Wake up. I know you can." _or _"I love you. Come back to us." _or _"Why won't you wake up? You'd better not be giving up." _

Daily, Anne would come in and check his pule and/or his breathing to make sure it was okay. She would also change the gauze that was over all of his wounds, soaking up the blood that came out.

Days passed with the same routine. Anne would check up on him. His family would come talk to him. He would slip in and out of consciousness.

While he was like this, he had a lot of time to think. He often thought about what Doctor Glass said. That he could only come back if he made the decision to. He thought about his family. And about how every day they'd say that they needed him. And sometimes he really did believe it. He would believe that what they said was true.

But then he thought about when he had a harness. How Hal and his father almost died trying to save him. _Him_. A boy who was probably more trouble than he's worth. How they pretend to need him. Even if they don't know it, he did. On a mission he'd probably slow them all down. Probably get them all killed. Even if he's been training, it could've happened. In fact, he was surprised it hadn't.

He though about what happened when he came back to the 2nd Mass camp. About how everyone looked at him funny. When he turned his back, people would look at his spikes. They'd treat him like he was one of the Skitters. Which in some way he could be. He was useless like the Skitters. Hated like them.

Some people were nicer than others. Meaning that, the nice ones hated him behind his back. Others, hated him to his face. They'd call him names like razorback, or half breed. The Mason half breed. They'd look and treat him like an entirely new species. Not human. Not Skitter. Something completely different. And even worse. He'd been called a freak more times than he could count.

People learned to hide their disgust, though. After he got back, the only people that treated him equally were his family, and the other harness kids.

So many thought swam through Ben's mind. Do I even deserve to live? Am I just a freak? I should just give up, right? Would they be better off without me? Maybe the best way I could help everyone, would be to die.

Thinking about this depressed Ben. Because there was some part of him just kept telling him he was no good. That no one needed him. Not his family. Not his friends. Not the 2nd Mass. Not the world. He was just a useless piece id hybrid scum that should be killed or die off.

One time, when Hal was inside the bus with Ben, he regained full consciousness for the first time since the ambush.

"Please wake up, Ben. I know this sounds very repetitive, but—"

"Hal?" Ben swung his legs over the bed.

"Ben? Oh God! You're alive. You're awake! I'll have to get—"

"Shut up for a sec, okay?"

"Okay. What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay. Let's talk. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm not okay."

"What? Does something hurt? Because I can get Anne and she can—"

"No. I just don't understand."

"You don't understand what?"

"You guys keep saying you need me."

"Yeah. You could hear us?"

"Yeah. I was half conscious. But, you're lying."

"About what?"

"About needing me."

"What? That's crazy!"

"No it's not. Admit it, this whole place and everyone here would like it better if I was dead."

"That's not true!"

"It is. I'm a freak. A razorback. A Mason half breed. A disgrace to the entire family. The best way I could help everyone, would be to just drop dead. I don't deserve to live."

"Stop it! Shut up, Ben. You're wrong. You've helped all of us on countless occasions. You've saved my butt more than. Once. Don't you dare say you shouldn't be alive."

"But it's true."

"No it's not! How can you even _think _that?"

"Because!" Ben was shouting now. "Face the facts! Everyone here hates me! It's not hard to figure out. They'd rather see me dead. They hate being near me. They treat me like I'm a different species! Not human. Not Skitter. I'm useless!"

"Ben Mason, you _stop _that right now! You're wrong. Forget about everyone else. Think about your real family. Your real friends. We'd be a wreck if you died."

"You'd get on fine."

"That's not true. When you were with the aliens, I felt so horrible. I missed you so much. I was so_ angry_ about you being gone, it made me _sick_. I was also _heartbroken_ that I didn't know where you were, or what had really happened to you. There wasn't a day that passed where I didn't think about you. About how I wish it was me in your position, and you're were safe here. I blamed myself every single day you weren't here. You're my little brother, and I love you."

"You don't understand!" Ben was starting to fade away. He could feel it. This conversation was wearing him out. "You don't feel what I do. You don't know what it feels like to be an outcast. You've fit in _everywhere_, your _whole_ life! You don't understand how the looks feel. How people freak out when they find out about my spikes on my back, or of my being harnessed. They give me looks of disgust! They don't even think I'm _human_!" Ben was definitely starting to sway.

"You're right." Hal seemed to have calmed down. "I don't understand what it's like to be you. But I wish I did. I wish it was me, not you. You never did _anything _to deserve what happened to you. But you need to know, I will always be there for you. No matter what, I'll be there. You'll never have to go through anything alone, again. I promise. Because I'll be there. I'll be there every step of the way, Ben. Because you're my little brother. And I love you."

"Hal, I—" Ben tried to stay conscious but the conversation and the yelling took too much energy. He was falling into the darkness again. His eyes lolled back and he slumped forward, and hit the ground.

"Ben? Ben! Are you alright? What happened? Ben!" Hal yelled as he knelt down beside his brother. "No. We were so close. Fine. Come on," he said as he lifted Ben back up into his bed. "Just wake up. And remember. I love you. Dad loves you. Matt loves you. Think about that. That's the reason you should come back for good. You have family that loves you. And we really _do _need you. So Ben, stop fooling around. And. Wake. Up."

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Is this chapter a little better? Please keep leaving reviews! :) I want to know if I'm doing alright! I sure hope so...but I won't know unless you type down some reviews. So warm up your fingers and...TYPE. If you don't, you'll make me cry. Do you want me to cry? :'( I WILL start to virtual sob. Don't test me. Then you'll be virtually arrested for virtual harassment and lack of typing reviews. Okay, I've rambled on long enough. use...LEAVE REVIEWS! (Please? :3)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five-and the last chapter-of this fanfic. Hope you enjoy! :{D**

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"Dad!" Hal was running towards his father. Back in the bus, he had placed Ben back where he originally was. Then he ran off to find his father and tell him what happened. "Dad! I need to talk to you! Urgently! It's about Ben!"

A few seconds later, Tom ran out to meet his son. "What? What is it? Is Ben alright?"

"Well, I know why he won't wake up permanently."

"What? Why?"

"He thinks that he's a freak."

"Your kidding me!"

"Yeah."

"How do you know?"

"Well I was I there, and he woke up. Just for a few minutes. We had a conversation and he felt like no one needed him. Then he passed out again."

"Oh Ben. Hal, find Matt. We're all gonna pay Ben a family visit and have a little talk."

"Okay." As Hal ran away to find Matt, Tom couldn't help but blame himself. He has been spending so much time with 2nd Mass stuff that Ben was feeling unloved and not needed. Even though it was insane, he could see where the middle Mason was coming from. But he needed to know the truth. He was loved. He was special. He was a great son and a great person.

Once Hal came back with Matt, the whole Mason family—not including Ben, of course—headed to the medical bus. When they got there, they filed in and sat beside Ben's bed.

"Ben, I know you can hear us, even if you can't register us. But I brought the rest of the family and I think you should hear what they have to say."

"Ben," Matt started. "I love you. And I miss you. Please wake up. I need you. We all do. Even if you don't feel like we do, it's true," he said as tears welled up in his eyes. Just want you to wake up."

"Ben, son, I know I haven't been doing the best job lately. And for that, I'm sorry. But I don't understand that you could ever think we don't love you. If we didn't, would we even be here? If we wanted you to die, we would've left you in that building. But we didn't. Hal rushed you back. I couldn't come, but I was thinking about you. There wasn't a thought in my head that wasn't a prayer to God asking for your safety. You're my son and we love you. Hal and Matt are your brothers. They love you just as much. We are your family and we'd be devastated if you didn't wake up. WE know you can do it. Just open your eyes. Please, son," Tom said as tears started to race down his cheeks.

For a while, the three Masons just sat there, hoping. After a while, they were starting to wonder if Ben had heard them or not. Was he just thinking? They didn't know.

After an hour had passed, they waited for any sign of movement. Tom was just about to give him another speech when Ben's eyes started to flutter open.

"Ben? Ben! Come on, that's it. Just keep doing that." Hal said as tears glistened in his eyes.

As Ben looked around, he saw that his whole family was crying, and couldn't help but do the same. His wet tears made traces in the dirt on his cheeks. "Dad? Hal? Matt?"

"Ben! You woke up! I'm so glad!" Matt squealed as he jumped up next to his brother. Ben made room for him and held him tight. "I love you, Ben," Matt said into the middle Mason's shirt.

"Oh Ben. Thank God. What took you so long?" Hal said as he came in for a hug as well. Ben accepted his older brother's hug with an incredulous look, and slowly raised his arms to hug him back.

"Son. Thank you. I was so scared I was going to lose you. I would've never forgiven myself. I'm sorry," Tom said as he smiled at Ben And, when Hal pulled away, gave him a hug of his own and kissed the top of his head. "Never do that again."

"Okay. I'm sorry," Ben said.

"And never, _ever _think that we don't love you. You, and Matt, and Hal are my greatest treasures. You three are my everything. I love you. They love you. You'll always be our Ben."

"Okay. Thanks, dad. Matt. Hal."

"Don't worry. That's what family is for," Hal said as the whole family hugged Ben, who returned the action. And for a while, they just stood there, hugging in a warm embrace.

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**Alright. So there it is. Tell me what you thought of it in the review section please! :)**


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